


How to bake a flower cake

by mementomoe



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Female Warrior of Light - Freeform, Making Food, Named Warrior of light, Pre-5.4, Starlight Celebration (Final Fantasy XIV), making gifts, post 5.3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28093095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mementomoe/pseuds/mementomoe
Summary: His first Starlight Celebration home, and G'raha Tia wants to thank the Scions for all they've done for him, but there's one problem.G'aha doesn't have much in the way of Gil.But his lover, the Warrior of Light Haruka Narukami comes in with an idea using her own knowledge. Together, they work together to get everything needed for a Starlight Celebration feast.And perhaps he can make a gift for her as well(FFXIV Creator's Haven SS gift for Harunami)
Relationships: G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Original Character(s), G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 6





	How to bake a flower cake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [harunami](https://archiveofourown.org/users/harunami/gifts).



Starlight Festival.

Two words G’raha hasn’t heard in years. At least, years for part of him.

And what better way to give thanks to those who’ve accepted him than to give gifts to his fellow Scions.

He makes up an excuse to Krile about how he’ll be gone for a few days, and no one should worry, and heads to Ul’dah. He can imagine everything he’d get them. An aged tome of secrets for Urianger, Garlean magitek for Thancred, perhaps a pet for Krile, and —  _ oh _ there are so many great gifts to get each of them.

He reaches into his pocket to check how much gil he has.

Not enough. Not for the big gifts he has in mind. He’s a Scion to stay close to those he’s grown to know over his time as the Exarch, along with Haru. Perhaps he could find some levequests or others who can help him? No, neither of those would work.

“G’raha, what are you doing here?”

Haru? Where is she? He darts his head around, only to turn and see her there. “Haru, I didn’t know you were going to be here. I was — ah…” He doesn’t know what to say.

She smirks. “Are doing the same thing as me. Trying to get some gifts for friends, right?”

G’raha’s ears flatten and he looks away. “Am I that transparent? I forgot that I don’t have much so I can’t get the best gifts for the Scions. They let me join, and I still wish I hadn’t troubled them so much.”

Haru listens and thinks a moment. “Adventuring makes a bit of money,” she says. “But it also takes time. So perhaps you can do what I am. Make something for them.”

Make? Well, the pieces of items are often cheaper than the full one, and if he can gather some of the items himself, it’d be even more efficient with his money. That said, some of the ideas he had are not things someone like him could make. He can’t make a tome of secrets or magitek.

Though perhaps Cid could give him a discount on something like that if he helped with gathering.

No, that wouldn’t feel right taking advantage of the man. Besides, he must be quite busy with his own projects and whatever his treasurer convinced him to do.

“I don’t really craft much myself,” she says. “I like to usually trade with those who can, since I prefer to be in the wilds. I have most of the things I need for those trades right now.”

“Can you teach me?” G’raha asks. “Haru, could you teach me that?”

She blinks “What? Botany? I don’t think it’s too hard to get the items. But it takes time to learn how to get what you need and where it grows. I have a bunch of notes about those things. I can share if you—”

G’raha hugs her. “Thank you!”

Haru chuckles as she pulls away, adjusting her blindfold as she does so. “Perhaps I should start off with the basics. You can use my axe and scythe if you want. I’ll turn in what I have to the crafters I made agreements with, then we can head to Gridania.”

He follows her through the city as she heads to the three guilds, sharing her spoils and discussing what she wants with them. She doesn’t dart through crowds and keeps one of her hands with his. Neither wants to be separated from the other in the large, bustling city of Ul’dah. An alchemist to make a sketch book for Alphinaud, the goldsmiths to make aetherically charged rings for Alisaie, and whatever she did with the wever’s guild, he knows it’s for him.

With all three handled, the both of them trace their aether to Gridania’s aetheryte plaza.

“From here, we should head south, through the main gate. That area is fairly peaceful, and the Elementals don’t mind too much if spoken practice their skills there. I know a great place for some maple sap. That’s pretty easy to get.”

Maple sap?

He has an idea when she mentions that.

It’s a quick walk through the gate before he finds himself in front of a tree. Haruka hands him an axe.

He tries to hold it, but the weight is odd in his hands. The balance isn’t like with his staves he’s used, or the bow he once had. If he used an actual sword perhaps he could guess.

Haruka stands behind him. “No, no, like this.” She adjusts his grip, making sure he holds the weapon with both hands, adjusting which is on top. “This one’s your dominant right?”

“I’m about equally good with both, so whichever you’re best at, I guess.”

Haru kisses his cheek for a quick second. “Good. So, for sap, you need a tap. I have one in my bag. But you flip the axe backwards so you’re using the blunt edge, but you swing it the same way.”

He guides his hand to a quick swing. They’re still a few yalms away.

G’raha can feel the weight of the swing, the angle. Haru does little more than guide him in the motion.

She lets go and steps to a side. “Show me how to do that.”

He repeats the motion. “Bit quicker. And a smaller arc.”

G’raha tries again.

Haru adjusts him with words again.

It takes a few more tries before she feels comfortable enough to let him use the tap.

His first hit is wide of the mark, hitting the tree a bit up and to the left of his target, but G’raha manages the mark a second time.

Haru gathers a small bottle of the sap, but an idea comes to him.

“I think I know what to do!” he says.

She looks over as she puts the bottle away. “You do? What is it?”

He smiles. “Maybe I can make a meal for Starlight for everyone. Do the Scions celebrate together?”

“They did last time,” she says. “Though Tataru likes to make dinner. Maybe I can convince her to let us make the dodo and maybe a pudding.”

With that, Haru steps away and presses her hand to her linkpearl.

G’raha wants to hear the conversation, but decides instead to look around. He hasn’t been to Gridania or the Shroud since he went to get the aethersand, only to meet Haru when he went silent on updating Rambroes.

Instead, his eyes wander. There’s a few sunbeams that break through the canopy of the forest, and he notices a patch of undergrowth, flowers. He slips over towards it, small blue flowers.

Periwinkle, it seems to be.

G’raha picks a few clusters of the vine and flowers and places them in a pocket of his sack. He rushes over near where they tapped the tree.

She walks up a few moments later. “Tataru wasn’t sure, but has let us do it. I wrote down the items she wanted for the celebration. 30 ponze dodo, lots of vegetables, some herbs and a bit more maple sap for a glaze. Along with a large cake. I believe you said you once made one?”

He remembers that atrocity. Lyna put on a brave face, and was still a child. “A long, long time ago. But I suppose I can try again.”

“Good, I know a few other things. Now, most of these can be found in the shroud, and then we can head to Limsa’s market for the rest.”

He and Haru take turns holding the tap and bottle as they gather a few more vials of maple sap. From there, it’s a long, looping journey throughout the shroud, picking various nuts and fruits, gathering herbs with a scythe, and digging around for mushrooms.

She helps him with techniques to spot and gather the ripest of each item.

With everything gathered, they teleport to Limsa Lominsa. “I’ll take care of getting the Dodo from the Culinarian’s Guild. You can get the rest over in Hawker’s alley. It shouldn’t be too expensive.” She pulls out a piece of paper, and scrawls a few items. “Here we go. This is what you should get.”

He takes the list and looks it over. Easy enough items to find, and perhaps he can ask around for something to preserve the flowers he got, and perhaps a way for it to clip to Haruka’s hair. “I’ll do my best to barter them down. Meet you at the aetheryte in a few bells?”

She nods her head. “Make it two exactly. After that, we can probably head to Mor Dhona and make this dinner for everyone.”

With that, they part ways. She heads up a set of stairs, while G’raha makes his way into Hawker’s Alley. The area is busy, with everyone shouting their goods and prices. He tries to make sense of everything, tugging at his ears and looking around.

It isn’t until he sees an alchemist in one corner, everything in brightly colored bottles, that he finally thinks he finds what he needs.

“Looking for something?” The alchemist asks. Her voice is a bit raspy with age, though she looks as if she aged gracefully, though she is still a generation above him.

“Y-yes. Cane sugar, Ala Mhigan spring water—” he lists off everything that he thinks she might have available. “Also, if have some clear sap and a pin, it would be wonderful.”

The woman checks over her wares. Repeating his list as she puts the items in front of him. “This is quite a bit. What are you planning to do, reanimate the dead?”

His face blanches. “N-no. My partner and I are making dinner for our family. The dodo and cake for Starlight.”

She chuckles to herself. “And the sap and pin? I have those, but I do not think either are needed for a starlight feast. Perhaps the pin, but not sap, unless it’s to look at.”

G’raha stutters for a second. “That is actually for a gift for my partner, I found some of her favorite flowers, and wanted to make a pin. I’ve seen alchemically preserved flower pins before, and wanted to make it myself. Is there anything I need to know for it?”

The woman tells him what to do, heat it up, mix with water slowly, but not to a boil, then pour carefully over the plant on both sides, and then attach the pin.

It sounds easy enough. Easier than making cake.

“By the way, how much for all of this?” He asks. He checks his satchel, to see what the most he had was.

She gives the price. “Though the sap and pin are free.”

“Are you sure? I know sap grows in many places, but when it comes to refining it for preserving things, that must be labor intensive.”

The alchemist shakes her head. “It’s such a large order, a few items being given away is nothing, especially for someone who pays attention to his love and wants to make something for them.”

He checks his pouch again and sets out the money. Perhaps he could get a better deal, perhaps not. But this is everything he asked for.

The alchemist sets the vials in a carefully built box, with the two for Haru’s present in another “If you’re making this at the same time, be careful to make sure she doesn’t see. Make up an excuse that would take a quarter bell or so.”

He checks over the items one last time before G’raha puts the boxes in his sack. “Thank you. I thought I may have to look around more. I haven’t spent much time here.”

“Then tis auspicious you found me first. There are others with these goods, but I know they wouldn’t be so kind to someone who looks so confused and out-of-place.”

He gives a nervous bow and heads back to the aetheryte plaza. Hardly any time had passed, he feels like, He finds an empty bench on to wait for Haru to return.

It’s not quiet in the plaza. He can hear a few people selling things, a couple conversations he can’t distinguish, and the sound of the ocean around him. He closes his eyes and tries to focus on the ocean itself. He hasn’t heard such a sound in a long time. Not since he took a boat from Sharlayan to Eorzea.

Everything is so peaceful, Perhaps, perhaps he might just relax for the moment.

Eventually, he feels a hand on his shoulder and hear Haru speak to him. “Raha, are you done so soon?”

His eyes open, and he looks to her. “I got lucky with a hawker who had everything. Even gave me some items for free given the size.”

Haru smiles and helps him up. “Glad you did. So how about we head back and commandeer a kitchen for tonight’s dinner?”

G’raha nods and the two teleport back to Mor Dhona. He knows Rowena’s House of Splendors has a kitchen. Tataru’s mentioned using it a few times (especially for all the Archon Loaf he had eaten in his first days back on the source)

The two of them walk up the hill and into the large building. Up a flight of stairs and into the back room with the tools needed.

He manages to take out the box with the goods for the items they’re making without disturbing the box with the sap and pin.

Haru helps guide him through the steps needed to prepare the dodo and glaze, boiling the maple sap and mixing with water and some sugar, good practice for his own gift, mixing in herbs and spices. Not too much, but not too little. 

Brushing the dodo and placing it in the oven. Both of them needed to carry the bird into it, since it was large enough for all of the scions.

He knows how to make the cake, though. In theory. It’s been years since he did it as the exarch, but he remembers some of his big mistakes. Most were after mixing everything together.

Once the cake is in the oven, he tries to come up with an excuse to get Haru out for a while.

Only to fall short.

“Um,” he says. “I also got something to make you a gift, and I need the kitchen for a bit. Do the dodo or cake need to be checked on soon?”

“How soon?”

“Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes?”

Haru smiles. “Both need half a bell I hope that’s enough time.”

He nods his head.

She walks out, and once he’s alone, he takes the other box out, along with the flowers.

G’raha takes a few deep breaths. He can do this. He knows the consistency he did for the syrup, and it must be the same for this sap as well.

Pan, sap, water. Sap and water in equal ratio, but add the water second.

He sets the flower on a plate as he waits for the sap to warm up. Checks every few minutes about the texture.

He’s careful with the water, using the same treated mineral water as they had for the other items. 

Then comes the moment of truth, he takes the pan off the heat, waits a few moments for it to cool, then finally pours it over the flowers and leaves.

Flip.

Pours the rest and quickly places the hairpin on the back.

And not a moment too late.

Haru walks in as he gets the pan into the sink to rinse out the rest of the resin he made. She does her best to not look his way as she checks the ovens. “Cake is almost ready,” she says. “Though I think the dodo needs another half bell. I’ll take the cake out and let it cool, though we should probably make the frosting soon. How’s your gift for me?”

“Almost done. It needs to cool, and I think I need to do some cutting, but you can look if you want.”

She turns around and sees the plate. “Leaves?”

He uses some tongs to turn it around, poking at the resin to separate the flowers from the leaves some. “Ah, a hairpin. I know you normally don’t wear them, but I thought maybe this one would be nice.”

She leans in. “Periwinkles! You remembered my favorite flowers. I would love to wear this. Have you made pins like this before?”

G’raha shakes his head. “I don’t know if you got anything for me, but I wanted to try. The glaze was good practice for this.”

Haruka kisses his nose. “Thank you.”

The dinner that night would be great, but seeing Haru smile was enough of a gift for him for his first Starlight back home.


End file.
